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Protective immunity to Listeria monocytogenes in neonatally thymectomized (NTx) mice: involvement of T cells distinct from those in sham-thymectomized mice.
- Source :
-
Immunology [Immunology] 1988 Apr; Vol. 63 (4), pp. 649-55. - Publication Year :
- 1988
-
Abstract
- Neonatally thymectomized (NTx) mice, whose ability to mount antigen-specific cell-mediated immunity is reported to be generally defective, were found to be capable of mounting a normal level of acquired cellular resistance (ACR) and delayed footpad reaction (DFR) to Listeria monocytogenes. The present study was done in order to determine the functional differences of T cells contributing to the protection against L. monocytogenes between NTx and sham-operated mice. In mice immunized with viable L. monocytogenes, the absolute number of splenic T cells was significantly lower in NTx mice compared with sham-operated mice. When the ability of immune T cells to transfer ACR and DFR was examined by passive transfer, lymphocytes from immune NTx mice conferred a higher level of ACR and DFR on naive recipient mice, despite the marked difference in total number of T cells compared with immune Sham mice. Antigen-specific proliferation and interleukin-2 (IL-2) production by splenic T cells from immune NTx mice were significantly lower than in those from immune Sham mice. The proliferative response of T cells to exogenous IL-2 was also lower in NTx group. These results suggest that the requirement for the IL-2-driven T-cell proliferation system is basically low in the generation of effector T cells specific for L. monocytogenes.
- Subjects :
- Animals
B-Lymphocytes immunology
Hypersensitivity, Delayed immunology
Immunity, Cellular
Immunization, Passive
Interleukin-2 biosynthesis
Leukocyte Count
Lymphocyte Activation
Mice
Mice, Inbred BALB C
Spleen immunology
Thymectomy
Listeriosis immunology
T-Lymphocytes immunology
Thymus Gland immunology
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 0019-2805
- Volume :
- 63
- Issue :
- 4
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- Immunology
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 3259205